The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome is the eighth album by British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Released in 1977, it was their last studio album before their 2005 reunion. The album features a more energetic, new wave sound than its three immediate predecessors, anticipating singer and songwriter Peter Hammill's late 1970s solo work. For this album, bassist Nic Potter returned to the band, having left in 1970, and violinist Graham Smith (String Driven Thing) also joined the line-up, in place of the two members who had departed in the aftermath of their previous album, World Record (October 1976): organist Hugh Banton and saxophonist/flutist David Jackson. This considerably modified the band's sound. Officially, the band's name was shortened to just "Van der Graaf" for this album and the live album, Vital (July 1978), that followed, but contemporaneous Charisma Records promotional materials used both the full and shortened name.

Reception

Critical reception was positive. Melody Maker said the band "[had] just come up with an album that finally approached the band's long-promised potential".

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Hammill, except where noted. Tracks on 2005 reissue

Reissue packaging issues

The 2005 reissue added some B-sides and a demo. The last two of these, "The Wave" and "Ship of Fools", were labelled the wrong way around on the CD packaging.

Personnel